Trick or Treat Through 31 Days of Toy Terror: "The Wolf Man" Drift Rod from Hot Wheels Silver Series: Universal Monsters by Mattel

 

   How about another creepy car? Today I'm looking at the Drift Rod from the new Hot Wheels Silver Series: Universal Monsters set of cars. This muscle car has been given a new paint job inspired by the Wolf Man. That's an interesting thought, isn't it? A big, hairy V8 rolling down the road, honking a horn that lets out a big howl. Yeah, that's the ticket. The Wolf Man is my favorite of the Universal Monsters and I was really excited to see what this one looked like in person. Let's see what Larry Talbot drives when the moon if full and he's on the prowl after the break...

The Facts:

Length: 2 3/4ths inches

Non-Scalper Price: $3 to $4 dollars

The Packaging:

* Here's a look at the cool packaging with a great image of the Wolf Man looming menacingly over the Drift Rod. 

The Positives:

* The Drift Rod is a great looking car and it's been werewolf-erized by giving it a lighter brown body with darker brown clusters of fur painted all over it. It's an interesting take; one that I'm not sure would look great on a real vehicle but it kind of works in this smaller scale. The back of the car even has ears painted on it. The gold accents of the exposed engine elements and the hubcaps make sense; why gold? Well, the Wolf Man wouldn't want silver, would he?

* Across the top of the car, running from the hood to the spoiler, is a black and green stripe with various Wolf Man imagery on it. You've got teeth with prominent canines, a hand with the palm hark on the hood and spoiler, and maybe some fangs or a stylized "W" on the top in front of the moon roof. 

* The side of the Drift Rod also has "The Wolf Man" written on it along with some flashy details, like the aforementioned ears. 

* Here's a shot from the rear. I like how the license plate spot has the "The Wolf Man" logo on it as well. 

* Look inside the tinted windows and you can see the interior. Interestingly, the steering wheel is on the right side. Maybe this is a British model, perhaps insinuating that this is a werewolf of London. 

   

  This is a funny car idea. It's not too wild and wacky, just a repaint of a pre-existing Hot Wheels model, but it is kind of funny with the paint job that attempts to replicate fur and ears. I kind of like it, though I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea. I haven't found Dracula as of the writing of this review so I'm still prowling the Hot Wheels aisle in search of another vehicle. Maybe you'll see me there. If you do, say "Awhooo!" Anyways, this is a Great and a 1/2 little car and one of the odder items in my Wolf Man collection. 




 For more werewolves and specifically Lawrence/ Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man, I've also reviewed NECA's Wolf Man and the Wolf Man from Crypt Club 4-Pack, the Toony Terrors Wolf Man, the Funko ReAction Wolf Man, the Tiny Nightmares Wolf Man, Jada Toys' The Wolf Man, Remco's Universal City Studio's Mini Monsters Wolfman, Imperial's Wolfman, the Real Ghostbusters Wolfman Monster, NECA's Raphael as the Wolfman, the McFarlane's Monsters Werewolf Playset, the Imaginext Wolfman, the Werewolf from Mezco's Tower of Fear, Mezco's 2010 Wolfman, Luke Talbot (the Wolfman) from Monster Force, the Blood Red Werewolf from the Dr. Malgam's Body Bags Bag of Heads, and the Wolf Man dog toy from Fetch for Pets.

For more Hot Wheels Silver Series: Universal Monsters cars check out the following:

"The Mummy" Rip Rod